It’s Way Too Crowded

Reason Singaporeans No Longer Love Shopping on Orchard Road

Back in the days before Singapore got so jam-packed with people, Orchard Road was just crowded enough to be considered lively. The only area where the crowds got uncomfortable at times was the underpass between Wisma Atria and Takashimaya.

These days, the entire stretch is an unbearable stench of jostling bodies, especially on weekends. If there are more people, shouldn’t the malls be making more money?

Not enough apparently, due to the fact that newer malls like ION Orchard, Somerset 313, Orchard Central and Knightsbridge have sprung up like weeds in the past few decades and are now muscling in on the market share of older malls like Ngee Ann City and Wisma Atria.

“Driving to Orchard Road and squeezing with the crowds is too stressful. If I need to buy something, I just go straight to the shop and then get out as soon as I can. Shopping at Orchard on weekends is not enjoyable because it’s so damn crowded it makes me nauseous,” says Laura, a 32-year-old self-professed shopaholic and stay-at-home mum.

Singaporeans are feeling the stress of overcrowding, and now spend their weekends trying to find places that are more relaxing and less stressful than the malls on Orchard Road. Some are even willing to travel longer distances to hang out at cafes in suburban neighbourhoods.